24: Operation Nightfall
by beatle11
Summary: This is my version of the events taking place during Operation Nightfall. Minor spoilers in some chapters. Watch for warnings on top of the chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**24: Operation Nightfall**

_Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or any of their characters mentioned in this story. _

_This story is my version of the events taking place during Operation Nightfall. There are no major plot spoilers in this chapter.  
_

**Chapter 1**

"I almost have you Kim, you've still yet to beat me and that's not about to happen now" bragged Jack Bauer to his daughter Kim while playing a game of chess. "You shouldn't teach our daughter to be a bragger like that, it's not polite" remarked Teri Bauer from the kitchen pouring herself a glass of water. "Well, she has to learn somehow, maybe if I tease her like that it will make her want to win more and she will learn faster" Jack snickered back as he made his next move. Teri looked Jack straight in the eye and just gave him that look he knew so well, the annoyed look and said nothing. Jack just smirked back. "Are you getting any of this?" Jack asked of his daughter. "You know I love you but when it comes to chess I guess I'm just too good for you." Jack bragged some more. Teri was still listening from the kitchen just shaking her head when she heard the unmistakable voice of her daughter proudly exult the word "checkmate" and smirked. Kim got up and gave her father a peck on the cheek. "Good night dad" she said smiling and just headed to her bedroom for the night.

Jack just sat there for a moment in disbelief and then just couldn't help but smile as Teri came in to the room behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders as she couldn't help but chuckle."You know you deserved that one Jack" she tittered. "I definitely didn't see that one coming." he replied as Teri began to rub his shoulders. "But doesn't your job at CTU require that you be always seeing things before they happen?" Teri asked her husband jokingly. Jack just smirked and turned his head and kissed the woman he loved so dearly. "I guess that's a yes" Teri joked as Jack leaned in again more passionately this time. "You do realize that Kim is just upstairs" Teri remarked to Jack. "She's probably already asleep, it will have taken all he energy for her to checkmate me" Jack joked as he picked her up and carried her over to the couch. Teri couldn't help but chuckle excitedly as she and Jack continued to swap spit on the couch. They both had just one thing on their mind.

*****

In Washington early the next morning, Senator David Palmer was in a meeting with a senate sub-committee which he was heading. "Based on what we have discussed, I believe the action we talked about is necessary for the safety and security of this country now and in the future" Palmer said. "Do any of you here today see any other possible option?" After giving a few moments and seeing that there were no suggestions or objections he said "Well in that case, we have no choice, the mission detailed here must be carried forth" as he picked up the file folder on the table. "Otherwise we are finished here. The Senator immediately went to his office and made a phone call. _"Agent Ellis." _"This is Senator David Palmer, you have permission to go ahead with what we talked about" and he hung up.

*****

Jack, Teri and Kim were all downstairs having breakfast together. "You know Kim, I let you win last night, you do know that right?" joked Jack to his daughter. "Oh of course I know that dad, how could I not know that?" Kim joked back. "Yeah Jack, how could she not know that?" Teri added, not wanting to miss out on the fun. They all just smiled and laughed. They continued their conversation over breakfast until Kim left for school. Jack kissed his daughter on the forehead as she left "I love you" he said to her and Kim just replied "I love you too dad" as she left for the day. It was also time for Jack to leave for the day as well. Jack and Teri shared their words of parting as Jack also headed out the door.

Things with Jack and his family had definitely improved over the last few months. Jack had been out on various missions for long periods of time and that really hurt things with his family. Jack hoped that things would continue as they were.

"Good morning, Jack" were the words he heard as he walked into CTU. "Good morning, Nina" he replied. Along with Nina Myers, Jack also greeted his other colleagues including Jamey Farrell and Tony Almeida. As he was sitting down at his desk he received a phone call from Christopher Henderson, the director of CTU Los Angeles. "_Jack, I need to see you in my office right away_". Jack hung up the phone and headed up the stairs to the director's office.

When he walked in he was surprised to see his close friend Richard Walsh there, the current southwestern regional director of CTU. "Richard, it's good to see you. How's your family?" he asked, shaking his hand. "We are all doing very well thanks for asking. I'd like to have a chance for us to catch up but unfortunately now is not a good time, I got a call from NSA Agent Robert Ellis this morning, you need to go to Washington Jack, You will meet Ellis tomorrow morning". "I don't understand Richard, what's going on?". Jack asked surprised. "I have no idea Jack, you know as much as I do, you just need to get to Washington and you need to leave today." Walsh replied. "Your flight leaves at noon. You have time to go home and get ready. I wish I could tell you more but that's all I know. You will have a ticket waiting for you at the counter at LAX." Walsh informed Jack. "It's alright Richard, I understand, I'll go home and get ready" and Jack headed back down to his desk quickly before heading out.

"Is everything alright Jack, I saw you up there talking to Walsh" Nina asked. "I'm not sure, I have to go to DC." Jack replied. "When?" Nina asked surprised. "Today" Jack answered. "Today? Just out of nowhere? That's funny." Nina said. "Yeah, I have to go home and get ready. I'll see you when I get back" Jack said as he headed out of the office to his car.

Jack was very disappointed about this trip. After all the problems he had with his family he really hoped that this would be a short trip and not another lengthy mission. It would really hurt his family and that was the last thing Jack wanted now.

Jack returned home to see Teri outside doing the yard work. "Jack, you just left for work less than an hour ago. Is something wrong?" She asked as he embraced her husband. "I have to go to DC this afternoon. I don't know when I'll be back." Jack told her. "I got to work and Richard Walsh was there to let me know. Hopefully it's just for a couple days" Jack continued. "But it's likely not, It never is Jack" Teri replied in an annoyed tone. "I'm sorry Teri, it's just what I have to do." Jack said. Teri was still upset with the news and continued with the yard work.

Jack went inside to get ready and 15 minutes later came back out to see his wife still doing the yard work. "Teri, I know how much this hurts you and Kim when I leave for long periods of time. I'm sorry, but unfortunately that's the way things are right now" Jack said to his wife and they embraced. "I know Jack, you do what you have to do." Teri replied. "I'm sorry but I have to go, I love you. Tell Kim that I love her" Jack said. They kissed and Jack put his bags in his car and headed to the airport.

_Feedback greatly appreciated. Watch for the next chapter soon._


	2. Chapter 2

**24: Operation Nightfall**

_Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or any of their characters mentioned in this story. _

_This story is my version of the events taking place during Operation Nightfall. The are no major plot spoilers in this chapter.  
_

**Chapter 2**

In London, an MI6 agent was just about to leave his office for the night when his phone rang "This is Agent Saunders." he answered. _"Mr. Saunders, this is Agent Ellis, the conference call is set for tomorrow for 2PM London time." _Ellis hung up. For MI6 agent Stephen Saunders, the time had come.

*****

Jack arrived in Washington at about 7PM local time to find it snowing. Jack had to admit to himself that it served as somewhat of a silver lining to the whole situation. It was rare for Jack to experience snow living in Los Angeles. It only really happened when he traveled. As jack exited the plane into the terminal, he saw a man holding up a sign reading _Jack Bauer _and met him. "Welcome to Washington Mr. Bauer, we are here to take you to your hotel, there is a car waiting outside." the man explained. "Thank you", Jack replied. He wanted to ask the man what he was doing in DC but realized he probably didn't know. So he just let it be for now as he left the terminal and got in the car.

It was about a 30 minute trip, and they reached the Watergate hotel. "As far as we know Jack, you aren't here about any political scandal" the driver joked. "Well, I guess I'll just have to see" replied back laughing. The driver handed jack the room key, room 426, and said "Your meeting tomorrow is at the NSA headquarters. Please be ready for 8. Someone will be here to pick you up". The driver left and Jack decided to go grab something quick to eat at a nearby coffee shop before heading up to his room at about 9:30. Jack called the front desk for a 7AM wakeup call and after winding down watching some TV, he turned in at about 10:30 for the night.

"This is your wakeup call sir" Jack heard on the other end of the line as he answered the phone. "Thank you" Jack replied and hung up. 7AM dead on, the wakeup call never fails. Jack got out of bed, showered, got ready and headed downstairs for some breakfast before his driver came to pick him up. The driver arrived at the hotel a few minutes before 8 and they headed out.

The NSA headquarters were located in Fort Meade, Maryland, which was about a 45 minute drive from the Watergate. Fort Meade was named after General George Meade who was a general for the Union Army during the Civil War. Fort Meade also served as a home for the National Cryptologic Museum, although that wasn't on Jack's itinerary for the trip. Jack wanted to go home and be with his family. Unfortunately he had to make this trip and hoped he would be going home soon. Once they arrived, Jack was escorted to a conference room, where he met Agent Robert Ellis.

"Mr. Bauer, I'm Agent Robert Ellis of NSA, thank you for coming on such short notice. I trust that your flight and your accommodations were satisfactory." "Everything was fine Mr. Ellis." Jack replied as they shook hands. "I imagine you must be curious as to why you are here. Please have a seat." Ellis said. Jack was definitely wondering why he was flown over to Washington so quickly. "Jack, during this meeting, we will be on a secure video conference line with MI6 agent Stephen Saunders in London" Ellis explained as he connected the call. Jack's head was starting to spin. This was starting to look more and more like it was going to be a longer trip away from home than he was hoping. After a minute, the call was connected. "Mr. Saunders, you are connected with myself and Agent Jack Bauer of the Los Angeles counter terrorist unit." Ellis explained. After a quick greeting, the meeting was underway.

"Mr. Bauer, over the last few months, we have been monitoring a man named Victor Drazen. He is a warlord and a mercenary. He is the commander of a police organization called _The Black Dogs _in Belgrade. He has run several ethnic cleansing campaigns and purges in eastern Europe, including a recent incident in Kosovo." Ellis explained. "This war criminal is responsible for the death of thousands of innocents including Americans and British" Saunders added. Jack had heard of Drazen before, but at the time, he didn't have the means to be able to carry out any campaigns of this magnitude and it didn't seem like he would be able to anytime soon. "Due to his history and the likelihood of more purges in the future, we feel it is necessary for him to be taken out to prevent this from happening." Jack, surprised by what he heard replied "Am I understanding this correctly, do you mean you want him killed?" Saunders replied "Yes Jack, that's the idea. Both our governments have sanctioned this action." Ellis quickly added "This option was one of many considered for handling this situation. After careful deliberation, it was decided that Drazen was a man too dangerous to be kept alive. Intelligence shows that he may be plotting to develop an international terrorist organization with funds acquired through _The Black Dogs. _Both Agent Saunders and I know your reputation for getting results, and that's what we need here." Jack thought about it for few seconds before replying, "I understand."

Jack then asked "How would we go about this mission?" Ellis than explained "Intel shows that Drazen has a compound in Kosovo in a village called Dakovica. We would need you and Agent Saunders to assemble a 6 man team to infiltrate the compound and make visual confirmation on the target. Once your team makes the confirmation, you can call down an F-18 and it will make an air strike on the compound. Afterwards, a chopper will pick your team up. I believe that covers the basics. Here is the more detailed file." Ellis added as he handed the file to Jack. "Are there any questions?" Jack quickly glanced at the file and noticed Victor had family listed. He had a wife named Elena, two sons, Andre and Alexis, as well as a daughter Martina. "Will any of Drazen's family be in the vicinity of the compound during the attack?" Jack quickly asked. Saunders answered "No, his sons are currently serving with the Serbian Army and will not be there. His wife and daughter are currently on vacation and won't be back before the attack. It's imperative that this is taken care of quickly to ensure that Drazen's family members are not casualties." Jack then added "I understand the seriousness of the situation. I will have to look at this in more detail before I agree to this. I need time to look it over. "I understand" Ellis said. "There is an empty office down the hall. I will give you a couple hours to look it over and make a decision." Jack agreed. "I guess that's it for now then." Ellis said. "I will be in touch Agent Saunders." He then disconnected the video feed and escorted Jack to the empty office and left him to consider the file.

*****

Back in Los Angeles, Kim Bauer was just about to head out to school and the phone rang. She answered. "Hello". It was her father. "Dad, are you coming home soon?" she asked. Teri had picked up the phone as well. "Jack, what's going on?" She added. _"I'm sorry but it doesn't look like I'll be coming home for at least a few days. Something's come up that I have to deal with. I won't be able to talk to you until this is over either. I just called to tell you that I love the both of you very much." _ Teri wanted to ask what this was about but knew that Jack probably couldn't talk about it. "Just be careful Jack." She said. Kim quickly added her thoughts and hung up the phone. Both Kim and Teri embraced just before Kim headed out the door.

*****

Back in his office, Robert Ellis quickly called Senator Palmer on a secure line. "Mr. Palmer, its underway." He said _"Thank you Mr. Ellis" _The Senator added and hung up the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**24: Operation Nightfall**

_Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or any of their characters mentioned in this story. _

_This story is my version of the events taking place during Operation Nightfall. No major plot spoilers in this chapter._

**Chapter 3**

"Son of a bitch" Jack said to himself in his temporary office at NSA. Too pissed off about this mission, the fact that he was leaving his family again, but yet too loyal to his country to say no. One thing Jack wondered was who, in the government, sanctioned this action. Ellis surely had to get permission from someone. He had thought to ask at the meeting but held back thinking that Ellis wouldn't be able to tell him anyways, and even if he did, it was probably best that he didn't know anyways.

Jack had been given a secure line to contact anyone he needed to. He had called Agent Saunders in London and talked to him directly. They agreed that they would meet in Kosovo once the team was assembled. Jack needed to get to work. Jack only had 1 week to complete the mission before Victor Drazen's family could be casualties in this. The only target is Drazen.

Jack had been thinking about possible people he could target for team members. One person that came to mind was a man named Dwayne Shelton. Shelton was a former Green Beret and a Gulf War veteran. Jack had met him a few years ago during SERE training in the Rocky Mountains. They had actually become good friends but they didn't have contact in a couple years. Shelton had given him his home phone number and decided that he would be a good person to call to begin his search.

*****

A certain DOD Colonel was in his office when he got word that Operation Nightfall would be a go. He was one of the few who were in the loop on this operation. He picked up the phone, and dialed an unusual phone number. It took a fairly lengthy amount of time before the call was connected and the phone began to ring on the other end. The man who answered spoke with a Balkan accent. _"Hello, who is this" _he asked. The DOD Colonel replied "Operation Nightfall is underway, I will be in touch." and he hung up the phone. For obvious reasons the line he used was secure and untraceable. He had a deal with Victor Drazen to anonymously supply him intelligence. This certain DOD Colonel had lost his family due to an operation he had run. His two daughters had been kidnapped and killed by the enemy and his wife had left him, due to the stress of dealing with the situation. She wanted to distance herself before something else like that could happen again. The DOD Colonel blamed the government for allowing this to happen. He had quit after the events but decided to join the DOD in a plan to enact revenge. Now was his chance.

*****

At his compound in Kosovo, Victor Drazen was scrambling to figure out a way to handle this. Drazen was not afraid to die, but he wasn't ready to do it under these circumstances. Drazen picked up the phone and began to make some calls.

*****

Dwayne Shelton was at home with his family when his phone rang. "Hello he answered. _"Hello Dwayne, This is Jack Bauer." _ Shelton was surprised to hear from Jack. It had been a long time "Jack, I can't say I expected to hear from you today, is everything ok". Jack replied _"It is and it isn't. I need to talk to you. I'm at NSA. It's important." _Jack hung up the phone. Shelton was very confused. He alerted his family, and got in the car.

Shelton arrived at NSA within the hour. He asked the secretary for Jack Bauer's office. Jack had already been registered as a temporary employee of NSA and his information was in the system. Shelton was given the office number and immediately went upstairs to the office. After a few minutes he arrived and knocked on the door. "Come In" Shelton heard, and he entered. Jack got up and immediately shook hands with his old friend. "It's good to see you Dwayne; it's been a long time." Jack said. "Yeah, too long." Shelton replied. "I assume you didn't ask me here to reminisce about the last few years. He added. "Unfortunately there are important issues to deal with" Jack said. "Please sit down Dwayne, What I'm about to tell you is classified.

*****

Back in Kosovo, Victor Drazen had spoken to his sons Andre and Alexis. The three of them had worked out a way of dealing with this situation. Everything had been arranged. It was just a matter of setting things in motion. He picked up his phone and dialed.

*****

Jack was just finishing explaining the situation to Shelton. "Just another day at the office, right Jack?" Shelton said. Jack couldn't disagree. That was indeed the case. Shelton didn't need much convincing to join the team. He even suggested some people for the rest of the team. They made some calls for the rest of the afternoon and managed to acquire the rest of the team. Brice Gardener, Haj Illijec, Gary Graham, Roger Voss, and Fred Peltzer had all worked with Shelton in the past. Jack trusted Shelton's judgment so he decided that they would make up the rest of the team. Tomorrow, the team would all head to DC and the following day they would be heading to Kosovo, where they would meet up with Agent Saunders. "I guess that's it for the night" Jack said and they both left Jack's office.

Both Jack and Shelton headed downstairs. Dwayne went to his car and headed home. The driver from the morning took Jack back to the Watergate. Jack had dinner in the restaurant downstairs, before heading up to his room. Jack didn't have a good feeling about the mission he was about to undertake. Jack trusted Shelton and the people he helped select for the team. Jack had not worked with Stephen Saunders before. He had reviewed his file that day while waiting for Shelton to arrive at NSA. He had a long history with MI6 and an SAS soldier. He loved his country as much as Jack loved his. He found enough in his file to trust him. Nevertheless he still had a funny feeling about it. Most of all he was thinking about his family. He had been only a day away but he missed both Teri and Kim very much. Jack eventually fell asleep at about 11 that night.

*****

Back in Kosovo, Drazen received a call early in the morning from a familiar voice. _"The Operation Nightfall team will be arriving in Dakovica at about 11PM tomorrow." _ The call disconnected. For Victor Drazen, his plan was also already in action.

*****

Teri and Kim were at home for the night. Kim was at the kitchen table doing homework while Teri was working as well. They both were thinking about Jack. They were just trying to keep busy so they didn't have to think about it. All of a sudden Teri felt someone's hand across her mouth and saw a cloth in it. She briefly was able to look over to see another man doing the same to Kim. She tried to fight, but her strength was fading. She smelled a strong, alcohol type smell and quickly passed out.

_Feedback greatly appreciated. Watch for the next chapter soon_


	4. Chapter 4

**24: Operation Nightfall**

_Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or any of their characters mentioned in this story. _

_This story is my version of the events taking place during Operation Nightfall. No major plot spoilers in this chapter._

**Chapter 4**

Teri woke up before her daughter Kim. She was feeling really woozy, but did remember what had happened. After her wooziness had subsided a bit, she noticed she was in a small windowless room with one door. It was quite dark it the room. There was one small lamp in the room for light but it didn't emit much. She tried to stand up, but was still feeling the affects of the chloroform and she just sat back down. She noticed her daughter Kim was still asleep on the floor beside her. She woke her up.

Kim was also feeling really woozy from the chloroform. She recovered enough after a few minutes and remembered what had happened. In fear she tried to quickly stand up but she fell back over right away. "Don't try to stand yet Kim" Teri told her daughter. She crawled over to Kim and they embraced. Tears began to appear in Kim's eyes and it wasn't long before they were streaming down her face. Teri's eyes began to water too. "It's okay Kim" she tried to assure her daughter. "We will find a way out of here". She assured Kim.

A few minutes later, Teri was able to stand up. She walked over to the door but as she expected she wasn't able to open it. Teri had to admit to herself that it didn't look good. She wasn't about to let her daughter know that though. Kim was very scared and Teri could see it.

Just then, a man opened the door. It squeaked as it swung open. He walked into the room. Teri and Kim had their attention directly on him. "My intention is not to hurt either one of you. However, I will if you don't co-operate. Do you understand?" asked the unknown man. A few seconds later, Teri nodded. "Good, for now I just need you to be quiet" the man added and he left the room locking the door behind him.

After he left the room, the man picked up his cell phone. Victor Drazen answered and the man replied "I have the wife and daughter. Call me with instructions when you're ready" and he hung up.

*****

Jack had just arrived back at NSA the next day to meet the team. He had the opportunity to sleep in that morning but he didn't take it. The plan was that he would get to bed early that night as the plane left Andrews Air Force Base at 8AM in the morning. This way he won't have any trouble sleeping. From Jack's experience, Air Force flights weren't exactly the most comfortable flights around. He wanted to be ready to go once they got off the plane in Kosovo. He quickly headed up to his office checking for any phone messages or emails before heading to the conference room. He had received one email from Robert Ellis stating that he wanted to see him once he got to his office. He left his office and walked down the hall to Ellis' office and knocked. After hearing Ellis reply, "Come in", Jack opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him. "Hello, Jack, thanks for coming to see me." Ellis said. "Of course, what's going on?" Jack asked. "I just wanted to give you your final instructions. Once you arrive in Dakovica, you will be meeting with Agent Saunders at the airstrip. You will be given appropriate transportation to the location of Drazen's compound. Otherwise, everything is in order." After Ellis finished his explanation, Jack left the office.

Jack walked back down the hall past his temporary office and opened the door to the conference room. Shelton had already arrived with the rest of the team. Jack apologized for his lateness and Shelton introduced Jack to the other team members Brice Gardner, Haj Illijec, Gary Graham, Roger Voss and Fred Peltzer. After greeting everyone they got down to business. Jack explained to everyone in detail what would happen once they got on the ground in Kosovo. They would go to the location and perform reconnaissance to ensure that Drazen was in fact in the building. Once the confirmation was made, they would call an airstrike on the compound and would be then be extracted by chopper. They ended up spending a couple hours working out all the final details. It was about 2PM when they left the conference room. Jack reminded everyone that the plane was scheduled to leave Andrews Air Force Base at 8AM and to make sure they were not late.

Jack went back to his office and did some final desk work. He filed everything needed and made sure that everything was in order for the mission. He finished at about 5 and he headed out for the night.

Jack arrived back at the Watergate at about quarter to 6. He went to the nearby coffee shop and grabbed something to eat before heading back up to his room at about 7. Jack eventually called for a 5:30 AM wake up call and turned in at about 9.

*****

Victor Drazen was working out all the final details with his sons Andre and Alexis who had returned home to the compound. They had asked for a leave of absence from the Serbian Army to deal with family issues. Once everything was in order they left the compound at about 11AM in Kosovo.

*****

Jack woke up to his wake up call at 5:30. He crawled out of bed a few minutes later. After showering and doing his morning routine. He headed downstairs at about 10 after 6 and checked out before grabbing some breakfast. He had arranged for someone to pick him up at 6:45 to take him to the Air Force Base. To his surprise, Robert Ellis was at the Watergate to personally take him. "Hello Jack, I thought it best to pick you up myself." Ellis explained. "The smaller the information circle, the better." He added. Jack and Ellis headed out of the hotel and they entered Ellis' silver Mercedes.

Andrews Air Force Base was located about 8 miles east of D.C. in Prince George's County, Maryland. It was named after Prince George of Denmark, the brother of King Christian V. The Air Force Base itself served as host to over 20, 000 people including those active in the military, civilian employees as well as family members. The base was opened in 1943 as Camp Springs Army Air Base. It was later renamed to Andrews Field in 1945 after Lt. General Frank Maxwell Andrews.

Jack and Ellis arrived there at about 7:15. The rest of the team arrived by 7:30. They loaded all the necessary equipment on the aircraft waiting on slightly longer of the two runways. Ellis wished Jack and his team luck before they boarded the aircraft. It was a Lockheed C-130 Hercules. This particular aircraft was the main tactical aircraft for many military forces worldwide. They all found a seat and fastened their seat belts. After taking one last look outside at the Air Force Base, the plane picked up speed and took off on schedule at 8AM.

_Feedback greatly appreciated. Watch for the next chapter soon_


End file.
